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The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. For over three generations, the Academy has connected millions of people to great poetry through programs such as National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world; Poets.org, the Academy’s popular website; American Poets, a biannual literary journal; and an annual series of poetry readings and special events. Since its founding, the Academy has awarded more money to poets than any other organization.

Anne Brontë was born on January 17, 1820, in Thornton, England. The youngest of six children, she grew up in nearby Haworth, where her father, Patrick Brontë, was the curate of the local church. Anne’s mother passed away in 1821, and her two oldest sisters died of tuberculosis in 1824.

Anne was educated at Haworth with her brother Branwell and her sisters Charlotte and Emily. There, she wrote poetry and prose set in the imaginary kingdom of Gondal. She pursued more formal studies at Roe Head School for two years, and she served as a governess for two families between 1839 and 1845.

In 1846, Charlotte arranged for the publication of the three sisters’ poems under the title The Poems of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (Aylott and Jones, 1846). Anne went on to publish two novels under the pseudonym Acton Bell: Agnes Grey (Thomas Cautley Newby, 1847) and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Thomas Cautley Newby, 1848).

Anne died of tuberculosis on May 28, 1849, shortly after the deaths of both Branwell and Emily Brontë.

Appeal

Oh, I am very weary, Though tears no longer flow;My eyes are tired of weeping, My heart is sick of woe;

My life is very lonely, My days pass heavily,I’m weary of repining; Wilt thou not come to me?

Oh, didst thou know my longings For thee, from day to day,My hopes, so often blighted, Thou wouldst not thus delay!

This poem is in the public domain.

This poem is in the public domain.

Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë was born in Thornton, England, in 1820. Both a poet and a novelist, she is best known for the novels Agnes Grey (Thomas Cautley Newby, 1847) and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Thomas Cautley Newby, 1848).